Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1887-10-07
NANCY.
Hank Ghormley's Daughter An
Humble Yet Noble Girl.
PART I.

PART /.
The July sun beat mercilessly upon
the rocky summit of Old Foggy as two
solitary travellers mounted the dusty,
yellow road on the two sides of the
hill, each looking up and urging his
sweating horse TO the shade of wild
cherry tree upon the summit. The one
from the eastern SIDE reached the sum-
NIT and gallopcd tc the shade just rs
the other equestrian reached the level
space and turned toward the tree. The
two riders glanced at each other care
lessly, then with look of surprised
recognition.
John Jordan! sure rs death. Why,
hello, old fellowr and the other re-
spondod to the hearty handclasp with:
Can it possibly be you, Hayward"
II believe so; sort of revised edition
of me, leather bound, without any sill
yer clasps" The two young men
slipped from their horses and sat down
npon the parched grass under the tree,
tanning their flushed faces with their
straw hats.
well, Jordan, what in the name of
all that is holy are you doing on the
top of this God-forsakcn hill. Run
ming from the sheriff.
mo, my business here is probably
as legitimate as any that brings you to
the same place. l have finished my
course at the Theological Seminary
Rnd have been appointed to this circuit
since left college. am going to one
of my churches now, where l hold
services tomorrow.
"Oh, shades of the mighty! how are
we fallen from our ideals! l am stalk
inS out an air line for branch road to
tho river. BE some cutting through
these hills, won't there? My force went
on last night to Rocky Fork; that's the
name, isn't itP and am going down to
spend the Sabbath with them. Am
getting hungry. We couldn't find a
boarding house in these virgin forests,
and have had to camp. Wo were all
cooks, but for various reasons we've
lived chiefly on bacon and watermelon,
and pine for change-the flesh-pots,
you know, and things that are made
with ice. Being u clergyman you
probably pick chicken wing occa-
sionally, but hen-roosts are not an clc-
mSnt of barbarism. Well, how goes
preaching, old boy; how is your crop
doing, if that's what you call it? Your
souls, / mean; do they thrive under
your farmingP"
A panied expression crossed Jordan's
sensitive face. He hesitatcd. Hay
ward saw it, and bit his under lip
with annoyance. He was continually
reproaching himself for wounding Jsr-
dan in his old college days.
mo, Tom, to be frank, am some
what discouraged over my work.
don't seem to get mt my people. am
trying to study them as | never studied
Homer and Quintillian in the old times,
and feel sure that when put myself
fully in sympathy with them that l can
influence them greatly. They need it.
You can not imagine what field there
is before me here, if am only worthy
to fill it,"
Hayward glanced at his friend as
kindly as he might have done at hurt
child.
"Old fellow" he said, cautiously,
"you're mistaken. You'd laugh at
any body who would come down here
and buy hundred acres of this land
fora farm, and try to cultivate 1t.
Why the crows weep over it; look at
those hemlocks, and tho blackberry
bushes trying to find hold for their
roots; look at that patch of stunted
corn over there, and those bony crags
sticking through the soil. You can't
grow souls on such soil. They're not
here; no wonder you're wearing your
self out trying. Give it up and como
into little better region"
Jordan looked over the wide view
spread before them and the pained
look returned. "Soul is not product
of the soil, Tom. You always were adj
vancing some strange idea. OF course
the difficulty of living there, the pow
erty ard isolation, make the people less
intelligent, but they are Immortal just
the same" Hayward smiled. John
Jordan" he exclaimed, "tell me hon
estly, if, in all the churches in your
circuit there is one soul" " The young
minister hesitated. "In the intellec-
tual sense that you mean, there is not
that is, ! can not now recall oner'
$50 thought Now, if you will ex-
cuse me for mentioning it, one of my
chainmen is going home, and you will
do more good to society, yourself and
the Lord if you will take his place and
help us build railroad that will open
up the country and cultivate souls
thousand times faster than the present
way. Now, my dear boy, you're pound
ing away at q flint hill and when
you're worn out you will have only
pieces of flint for your labor"
A sickening sensation of dread and
doubt crept over Jordan. He rose and
caught his horse. Come down to my
room with me and stop for dinner, then
go down to the Fork in the cool
of the evening, Hayward. l want
to ask you about the fellows and hum
dred things You're the first one I've
seen since our commencement day"
Hayward assented, and they COM
mcnced the precipitous descent of the
hill. Both horses went down with
slow caution until the neared the foot
and tpqn broke into gqllop IN the soft